Jump To Recipeby Liz Thomson
November 27, 2022This post may contain affiliate links.
This garlicky cream cheese pasta is made with just a handful of ingredients but it’s rich and delicious! This easy recipe is made in just 15 minutes for an easy, tasty dinner in no time!
You know I love pasta, and this recipe is one of my new favorites because it’s ready in just 15 minutes — and it only requires a few fridge and pantry staples. The first time I tested this recipe, my husband gave it rave reviews so I knew I was on to something! I wanted to make a creamy pasta dish, but I wanted something that was foolproof. I’ve seen a lot of recipes for cream cheese pasta floating around the internet but many of them call for a large amount of cream cheese and I wanted something a little lighter. With high-quality Parmesan and plenty of garlic, I was able to get lots of flavor into this dish without needing much cream cheese. I think you’ll love this recipe!
To add more protein and fiber to the dish, I used Barilla’s high-protein pasta. It’s made with some legumes and lentils, but it still has enough gluten in there to create starchy pasta water. This was my number one choice of pasta to use for the recipe! I’ve tested it with penne and spaghetti and either one works.
Ingredients
Pasta– It’s important to use a wheat based pasta as the starch from the pasta water helps create a creamy sauce. I’ve tested this with chickpea pasta but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Cream cheese– This creates a rich and creamy sauce. You can use low-fat or Greek yogurt cream cheese.
Olive oil– A little high-quality olive oil helps create a rich sauce.
Garlic– This adds additional flavor to the simple sauce. I recommend fresh garlic, but pre-minced garlic can be used.
Parmesan– I highly recommend shredding your own Parmesan cheese as pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting. If you can’t find real Parmesan, you can substitute it with Pecorino Romano.
Red pepper flakes– I love the spicy kick of red pepper flakes, but if you’re making this for little ones or anyone sensitive to spice you can skip them.
Such an awesome pasta recipe that looks so delicious and perfect for this Holiday season! Its cream cheese is a great idea for a unique concept for a pasta dish! Plus we can never go wrong with pasta! Loved it!
I can not have whole wheat pasta, would a gluten free pasta work? It sounds wonderful !Â
My husband and I love pasta so much, and this one is so delicious and so easy to make.
Yummy!
My son just loves your recipe. He is a big time pasta lover and this recipe is so easy to please him. He would eat this all week long!
Such an awesome pasta recipe that looks so delicious and perfect for this Holiday season! Its cream cheese is a great idea for a unique concept for a pasta dish! Plus we can never go wrong with pasta! Loved it!
What a quick recipe for a rainy day. Very easy and very good.
I made this cream cheese pasta and the family loved it! Besides being easy to make it’s also delicious. Can’t wait to make it again!
So easy and straightforward! Loved it! It goes well with some air-fried mushrooms too! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
This pasta was so easy to make and turned out to be super creamy and satisfying! Great for a quick weeknight dinner!
This pasta recipe is absolutely delicious. I absolutely love the addition of parmesan. So creamy and tasty.
This pasta dish is so comforting and delicious. I love creamy cheesy pastas. Thanks.